Warm Eggplant Sandwich

Eggplant sandwich – a delicious, filling vegetarian sandwich filled with roasted eggplant, goat cheese and basil. A wonderful combination of flavors and textures. I imagine that a sliced tomato would be great in there as well, I just didn’t have any in the house.

Total time: 30 minutes

Ingredients
Olive oil cooking spray
1 medium eggplant (about 1 pound), unpeeled, sliced crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
4 (75-calorie) slices whole-wheat sandwich bread
2oz soft goat cheese
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

Directions
1. Heat oven to 500 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with foil. Spray the foil with olive oil cooking spray.

2. Arrange eggplant slices in a single layer on baking sheet. Lightly spray with olive oil spray and sprinkle with salt, black pepper and garlic powder. Roast the eggplant 10 minutes on the first side. Flip each slice to the other side, lightly spray again and roast 5 more minutes, until browned and tender.

3. While eggplant finishes roasting, assemble the sandwiches: Spread 1oz goat cheese on the bottom slice of each sandwich, season with black pepper, and top with basil. When eggplant is done, divide the rounds evenly between the sandwiches. You’ll likely use 4 rounds per sandwich. Place the second bread slice on top of each sandwich and press down with your hands.

4. Heat a large skillet over medium heat, about 4 minutes. Spray with olive oil spray. Place the sandwiches in the warm skillet. Fry 4 minutes on each side, spraying the skillet again when you flip the sandwiches, until golden brown on both sides. Cut on the diagonal and serve.

Nutrition per sandwich
(I calculated the olive oil spray as 1 tablespoon oil)
Calories 345.1
Total Fat 15.0 g
Saturated Fat 5.0 g
Cholesterol 13.0 mg
Sodium 546.0 mg
Total Carbohydrate 42.6 g
Dietary Fiber 11.4 g
Sugars 9.2 g
Protein 14.2 g
Weight Watchers Points Plus: 9 points